Letters To You
by The Dragon Conquerer
Summary: Falling in love is easy. It's the staying in love that's hard. Pen Pals AU. Mericcup.
1. Chapter 1

_"Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like." -Lemony Snicket_

* * *

Merida stared at the blinking line on her screen. It was mocking her.

She rubbed her eyes and took a few seconds to blink, surprised that she even still could. Two hours and twenty two minutes had been spent at her desk, and she didn't have a single word on her page. Writing history essays somehow seemed to be easier than this. It wasn't a hard assignment whatsoever, all she had to do was write a hundred emails in six months. Which, when you think about it, isn't _too _far-fetched of a number to accomplish in that time.

And it was so incredibly simple, yet she found her mind completely and utterly _blank_.

Merida pushed her chair back and it rolled across the floor. A break from staring blankly at a computer screen was much needed. She went downstairs and grabbed a slightly bruised, red apple from a bowl in the kitchen. Her mother was up still, rather surprsingly given the fact that it was nearly ten o'clock at night, and was seated in the dining room, reading a book. She entered, apple still in her hand.

"Mum?"

Her mother didn't look up as she spoke. "Yer up late."

"Ah'm doing some last minute homework. Thought maybe ye could help." She took a bite out of her apple and waited for a response. None came, so she took that to mean 'of course, proceed'. "what do ye say to a complete stranger?"

"Are ye single?"

"Muuuum."

"Sorry, dear. What kind of homework has ye talkin' to strangers?"

Merida stared down at her apple as though it was the most interesting thing in the world. "Just a project. Ah have to send emails to a pen pal, that's all."

Elinor set down her book. "Well, talk about yer interests. Surely ye have somethin' in common? Maybe he or she is just as stubborn and tempermental as ye are. Though I doubt that..." Merida shot her an unamused glare.

"Yer not bein' very helpful."_  
_

"Sorry. Finish up and get to bed, lass. It's late." She picked her book back up and continued reading.

Merida took her half-eaten apple back up to her room with her and settled back into her desk chair. Common interests...hm. She thought it over in her head, and figured she didn't want to start talking about her hobbies right away. Perhaps just a slightly formal introduction? She shrugged and started typing.

**Hello. My name's Merida, and I'm a twelth year. It's nice to meet you.**

She leaned back to look it over and bit her lip. It wasn't too bad, there was just the slight problem that it was supposed to be a different language. Grumbling all the while, she opened up a translator in another tab and entered her text.

**Halló. Mitt nafn er Merida, og ég er í tólfta ári. Það er gaman að hitta þig. Ég vona að þetta er nokkuð læsileg.**

**(Hello. My name's Merida, and I'm in twelfth year. It's nice to meet you. I hope this is somewhat readable.)**

Merida scrutinzed it and frowned slightly. It wasn't anything _spetacular, _but it would have to do.

She pressed send.


	2. Chapter 2

_"I am an inexhaustible source of akwardness." -Milena Veen_

* * *

Hiccup woke up early that morning. He blinked twice to readjust his eyes to the light streaming in through his open window. With a sigh, he pulled off his covers and fumbled around for his glasses on the nightstand. He didn't even need them, save for late nights working when his vision got blurry from lack of sleep. It had just become a habit to put them on in the mornings.

A strange sound was heard downstairs. Hiccup immediately paused and listened intently. Someone was downstairs. He left his glasses on the nightstand and snuck out of his room.

The sight in the kitchen was a rare one. His father was actually home for once, cooking and _whistling_. The tune was familiar, but one he couldn't quite place. Though there were more important things on his mind than the song. His father had gone all out with the breakfast, and there were two plates filled with meats, cheeses, bread, jellies, and a bowl of vanilla skyr off to the side. Hiccup eyed his father curiously and coughed to make his presence known.

"Mornin'." Stoick said casually.

"Uh...good morning to you too. What-what are you doing here?"

"I live here."

He set the plates on the table and pulled out Hiccup's chair, who apprehensively sat. "I know. But for the most part you're not...here."

"It's yer birthday, figured we'd do a little bit of celebrating. Speaking of which, yer friends dropped by earlier. Brought a cake. If you-" Stoick glanced at his watch. "ah, gotta get going. But happy birthday, son." He waved and sprinted out the door.

Hiccup waved back, happy to even just have a few minutes with him. Even just that long was unusual, he was always busy. In fact, Hiccup doubted he would have even known he still existed if it wasn't for the milk sometimes being empty. He finished up and placed both of the plates in the sink, thinking of the cake waiting in the fridge, pausing when he noticed something by the toaster. It was a card. From his father.

* * *

"Pen pals." The class immediately groaned. Hiccup snuck into his seat, receiving a glare from his friend Astrid, the only one who had noticed he was late. Thankfully. He shrugged and pretended to focus on what their teacher said. "Yes, yes. I know, get the disappointment out of your systems now. But you all knew this would happen. I sent out announcements, not my fault you didn't pay attention. But I think this will be fun! It's a chance to meet new people, and explore cultures-" Hiccup couldn't even _pretend _to listen anymore.

Miss Camicazi was their subsitute who had a habit of rambling, and she always more excited about the lessons than any of the students were. The sleep-deprived ones, like Hiccup himself, found it hard to stay awake most of the time. Though it was his own fault he was tired. Even he should have known it wasn't wise to stay up until four working on his part of the history project.

"I'll be passing out the envelopes with your pen pal's information on them now."

As she began to set out colorful little envelopes on student desks, something hard hit his back. He turned around to see Astrid, armed with four more erasers to fling at him. "Where were you?" She whispered.

"Sleeping."

Astrid rolled her eyes, not even finding it hard to believe. "At six in the morning?"

"Not all of us are up at the smack of dawn."

"Obviously not. And happy birthday, dork."

Miss Camicazi dropped an envelope on her desk and Astrid picked it up and eyed it curiously. She then flipped it over, her eyebrows furrowed.

Hiccup mouthed a 'what?'.

"There's no name. Just says that she's a female from Thailand and speaks English and Thai. Strange."

Their teacher stopped by his desk next, and he tore it open and read. Female. Scotland. English. Email address.

The classroom was filled with chatter, despite Camicazi's attempts to quiet them down. She gave up, and scribbled down the information on the chalkboard instead. The problem was, nobody took the time to read it.

She cleared her throat loudly. "Rules, everyone! They exist, so let's go over them! First, you are highly encouranged to write in your pen pal's language. It will state the language in your envelope. He or she will be writing in your's. Second, as weird as I find it, the rules say you have to send one hundred emails. No less, but more is okay. Honestly, I find the number drastic and am fine with fifty. But it's up to you. Third, please keep in mind that there may be time zones. You may get a pen pal who has six or more hours of difference. Please keep in mind that they need to finish the project too, and require you to be on time with your responses. Finally, _please _take this as a learning experience. Don't just send each other one letter emails because you want to get it done. That's not what it's for." She paused to glance up at the clock on the wall. "Alright, pack up, everyone. Don't forget about the history project, it's due in two weeks. And I won't be taking any late entries this time around. See you all tomorrow."

Hiccup shoved his envelope into a pocket of his knapsack and took off. The schoolday was finally over, and he could go home and make up for lost rest. Astrid and Fishlegs were trailing along behind him, so quiet that he hadn't even noticed they were there. Fishlegs began to speak and Hiccup almost jumped ten feet into the air at the shock. He clutched at his chest and sent them both cold glares. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Someone's jumpy." Astrid commented.

"I'm not _jumpy_. Just a little nervous. That's all."

"Yeah, okay. So, Fishlegs and I are going to the library to send the email. Despite the fact that I find this a bit ridiculous, I want to get a good grade. You coming?"

Hiccup nodded and followed along after them. He _was _nervous. He was incredibly awkward in person, just how much more awkward could he manage to be through text? At least there would be a smaller chance of him rambling (which both of his friends knew well that he was prone to do so).

Astrid didn't seem nervous about it, she was as calm and collected as usual. Which didn't surprise him. She didn't have to worry about making a fool out of herself (unlike Hiccup) because she couldn't be awkward if she tried.

"Astrid, we're not even getting graded on this." Fishlegs pointed out as they walked.

"Well we can still fail if we don't send at least one hundred emails. _One hundred. _Who's even able to send that many?"

"It's not like we don't have time. There's like, six months to send them all."

Astrid crossed her arms, tone defiant. "It's _five_."

The trio entered the library and walked over to the row of computers. The email was the first one in his inbox. He opened it up and read.

It was obvious that she didn't speak the language, but it's not like he had expected her to. He appreciated the effort anyway. Still, it was rather hard for him to read. He wondered if maybe he should just tell her she could speak in English. That would have been easier for both of them, so naturally he didn't.

_It doesn't matter if you say nothing but stupid, awkward things for the one hundred emails you have to send. She's a thousand miles away, it's not like you're ever going to actually have to meet her._

With those words of encouragement in his mind, he began to type.

Astrid groaned and he paused to look over at her. "Can you read this for me, please?" She asked him.

"It's in Icelandic." He said flatly.

"No it's not. It's in English."

Hiccup leaned over to look at her computer screen. Sure enough, the message was in English. "It says, 'Hello, pen pal. My name's Toothiana, it's great to meet you. I await your response'."

She frowned and bit her lip. "Does she think I speak English or something? Because I thought she was supposed to write in my language."

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Hiccuuuup."

"Just type it in English."

Astrid 'humphed' and looked down at her keyboard. "How do you say hello?"

Hiccup didn't answer (partly because he knew for a matter of fact that she spoke it). He looked back to his screen. Without bothering to put any more thought into a response, his fingers darted across the keyboard, creating as generic of a response that he could.

**Hi. Nice to meet you, Merida. My name's Hiccup. I'm in twelfth year as well. Your Icelandic is near perfect. **

He pressed send.

* * *

***aggressively uses adverbs***

***aggressively uses commas***

**I made Camicazi his teacher is that socially acceptable in most circles**


	3. Chapter 3

_"Love can change a person the way a parent can change a baby- awkwardly and with a great deal of mess." -Lemony Snicket_

* * *

"Can ah be homeschooled?" Merida asked her mother that morning at breakfast.

The woman chuckled softly as she placed the sausage on the pan. "Why do ye want to be homeschooled?"

"So ah don't have to do any schoolwork."

"Merida, ye know ye still have to do work right?"

Elinor dumped the pan of sausages onto her husbands plate. She then placed three bowls of porridge in front of the triplets. As soon as she set it down, they began throwing it at one another.

"Speaking of school." Elinor began, grabbing a towel off the rack to wipe off their faces and hands. "How's the project coming along, dear?"

Merida shrugged and poked at the tattie scones on her plate. "I dunno. He hasn't replied yet."

"Did ye check yer email?"

"No."

"Merida..."

"Ah'll check right after breakfast. Promise."

Elinor took a seat next to her husband, still giving her daughter a stern look. "Okay. Quit pokin' at yer tatties. Eat 'em. And boys, please stop playin' with yer food."_  
_

The triplets gave their mother a quizzical look. Hamish threw a final handful of porridge at Harris and calmly continued eating. Merida's father simply laughed, and when he did the whole room seemed to shake; her mother was the one that groaned and picked up another towel from the rack to clean them once again.

"We'll be havin' haggis tonight if ye keep that up." Elinor warned.

She watched her mother intently as she reached across the table for the stack of toast, hoping that if she stared enough she'd figure her out. It didn't seem to be working.

"And Merida, don't forget that ye have lessons tonight at six. Yer teacher said that ye haven't been doing well lately...why's that?"

"Distracted." She mumbled. _With all the other thousand lessons you give me everyday._

"Ah know ye don't enjoy them but it's good for you. I promise."

"Ah never said ah didnae like them." Merida stated.

Elinor laughed and took a sip of her peppermint tea. "And here ah thought that the hour ye spent complainin' after them meant that ye loved it. Just try and do better, okay? Ah know ye can."

Merida nodded and decided not to argue any further. Hamish reached a sticky little hand over to try and grab the sausage from her plate. She gave him a stern glare nearly identical to her mother's, and the boy backed off. There was a minute of silence at the table as her three brothers ate their food far too quietly. They didn't make any funny faces or even turn their nose up at the black pudding. It was suspicious.

The dogs came scampering into the dining room, climbing up on laps to get a closer look at the food. Merida took her eyes off the plate of tablets for just a minute, and when she turned back, every single one was gone. As were the triplets who were already running out of the dining room with their pockets full.

"Muuum!" Merida whined, gesturing towards the boys.

Her mother sighed and tried to call them back but it was to no avail. She shrugged and went back to looking through the mail that had arrived that morning.

"Ah'm gonna go get dressed." She mumbled as she placed her plate in the sink.

"Don't ferget about the email..."

"Ah won't."

* * *

Merida didn't check her email. She was in a hurry and barely made it to the bus on time as it was. The triplets had tampered with the clocks, making it an hour behind what it actually was. Sometimes they were too smart for their own good.

It was still heavily snowing, and Merida found out the hard way that her boots weren't waterproof. By the time she made it to the bus, her feet were soaking wet and felt like icicles.

She sat next to her only friend, a slightly strange, incredibly annoying, brown-haired boy named Jack. They'd known each other for a year now, and she still wasn't used to his constant joking. Him in general, really.

"You're late." He said, not taking his eyes off his book as she plopped down onto the seat next to him. She set her backpack in her lap, thinking it was better than putting it on the wet floor.

"Wasnae my fault. What ye readin'?"

"I don't know. It was here when I sat down."

She lifted the book up and peeked at the cover. Wasn't one she had heard of. She noted that he was already seven chapters in. "How are ye already that far along?"

"I skimmed through it."

"Of course ye did. And here ah was, silly me, thinkin' ye could actually read."

Merida grinned at her friend and leaned back in her seat. She could see the window, since Jack's back was hunched slightly so he could read. Still white. There had only been two months of snow but she was already tired of it. It was cold and wet, why would anyone like it? Besides Jack, at least. Winter was his favorite season, he had said something about it being pretty. As long as there was something nice to look at, it made the cold worth it. Merida disagreed.

"Who did ye get?" She asked him after a long pause.

"What?"

"For the pen pal thing. Who did ye get?"

He shrugged. "I don't remember what his name was. Eugene, I think? Something along the lines of that. What about your's?"

She snorted. "Yer not gonna believe this. His name is Hiccup."

"Hiccup? Someone actually named their kid _Hiccup_?" She could tell he was trying desperately to hold back laughter. "You're not kidding?"

Merida shook her head, curls falling over her shoulder, and showed him the little blue envelope.

They were the last ones out of the bus, pushed and trampled by the other students before even taking a step. It was normal, that happened almost every morning. Both of them were used to it by now, Jack more-so than her. She had wondered why, and figured it probably had something to do with his life in the States. He never talked about it, but she had a feeling it wasn't so great. After a long time of asking, she gave up on getting anything out of him. Almost.

"Did you by chance do the math homework? Parabolas mess me up. Didn't understand a word." He asked her as they entered the building. It was warm and stuffy inside, a much better alternative to the freezing wind whipping around outside. Her boots squeaked against the floor and left faint footprints as she walked.

"Didn't do yer homework, huh? Jack, are ye becoming a rebellious teenager without a cause on me?"

The brunet scoffed and crossed his arms. "_No_. Did you do it or not?"

"Well, yes. But doesn't mean I'm lettin' ye copy it. Most of 'em are probably wrong anyway." Merida placed her backpack on the hook in her locker. The school had just recently gotten them, before they'd all had to carry eleven kilo bags around.

"Fine then. I guess I'll just do it during biology...while I'm all sad...and alone..."

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Don't be such a drama queen. I'll give you two of them. But only two. And only because I'm your only friend." He stuck out his tongue at her (_childish_, Merida thought) but looked relieved nonetheless. That moment seemed as good a time as any to try to get some answers out of him. Merida never intentionally meant to upset him, she just was curious about it and her curiosity sometimes lead to Jack getting mad and overreacting.

"Speaking of friends...Jack, do ye remember a few weeks when ye said something about me being yer second ever friend?"

He looked at her strangely but nodded.

"Who was yer first?"

Merida watched him closely, studying every movement he made, just like her father had taught her. He was good at reading people, said that it helped you find your enemy's weakness. But this time, she wasn't looking for a weakness, she just wanted answers.

Jack froze. His eyebrows knitted together slightly, and his brown eyes looked anywhere but her. There was a long moment of hesitation, he opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it and looked away again. "Doesn't matter. Why are you bringing it up now, anyway?"

"A...ah don't know. Ah just remembered that ye said it...how come ye haven't told me why ye moved here?"

"Because it just doesn't matter anymore. I've got to get to class, can I just have the answers?"

She dug out her folder and handed him the sheet. "Take them all. I'm sorry for bringing it up." The last words were said in a harsher tone that she regretted slightly. Only slightly. He always freaked out when she talked about it and she didn't understand why. Surely he didn't think she'd actually _completely _drop the subject.

"Whatever. I'll just prank you later." He smirked and walked off. And just like that, the old Jack was back.

Merida wasn't sure how he managed to change emotions so quickly, but she was thankful for it. Seeing that look on his face made her incredibly sad.

She just wished that he'd understand. And most importantly, that _she'd _understand. If that was even possible. Merida sighed, made a mental note to check her email when she got home, and walked to her first class.

* * *

**whoops. For being a Merida P.O.V. chapter this somehow ended up being very Jack heavy. that was so not intentional I have no idea how that happened.**

**Anyway, the next few chapter will probably have some Mericcup friendshippy moments in them. So Jack will most likely be ignored for sometime bUT HE MUST BE USED TO THAT BY NOW.**

***ahem* thank you for reading my stupid little fic I came up with at two o'clock in the morning! I'm so glad that everyone seems to be enjoying this!**


	4. Chapter 4

_"People understand me so poorly that they don't even understand my complaint about them not understanding me." -Søren Kierkegaard_

* * *

He watched the driveway intently. Any minute now, his dad's car would be pulling up, and he'd be outside fumbling with the key for a half hour as usual. Hiccup pushed the curtain farther out of the way and glanced around the dark street for any signs of headights. None. His street was eerily quiet that night.

Hiccup sighed and retreated back to the kitchen where a steaming mug of tea was waiting on the counter. He didn't even like tea.

He sifted through the kitchen drawer and pulled out a pen, quickly scribbling a note on a piece of paper for his dad. Hiccup slipped out the back door just as the car pulled into the driveway. He took off down the sidewalk, still trying to pull his coat onto his thin frame. The only sound was the sole of his sneakers against the concrete. And then he tripped. Over what, he didn't know, but he ended up faceplanting onto the sidewalk.

"Hiccup? What are you doing?" A female voice behind him asked.

He tried to stand up and ended up stumbling over before pulling himself up and continuing down the sidewalk as he shouted "not now, talk to you later!". Out of breath and ten minutes later, Hiccup knocked on the door to the house at the very end of the next street over.

Gobber opened the door, eyeing him quizically and let him inside.

"Yer late."

"I know. I was waiting for my dad and-"

"Ah. Lemme guess, ye haven't told him yet?"

Hiccup puffed out his cheeks. "I was getting to that. Anyway-"

"Ye can't keep on keepin' secrets. Yer father's gonna find out and ye know it. It would just be a lot easier to tell him that ye don't want to follow in his footsteps. He'd be less mad. Couldn't ye just rebel like other kids? Egging houses and settin' pranks and such?"

"I'm not _rebelling_-"

"Ye know, when I was yer age I was off-"

"Gobber! Will you please just listen to me?"

Gobber mumbled an apology and took a sip of meade.

"I can't tell him about this. He'd think that it was stupid and make me stop. So please? Don't tell him?" He was pleading now.

With another sigh and a gulp of meade, Gobber nodded. "Fine. Ah won't tell him. Now let's get started, ah want to get to bed sometime in the next year."

* * *

Hiccup kicked at a pebble and sent it skidding across the asphalt. His jacket was zipped all the way up and his hands were in his pockets in an attempt to keep them from freezing off. It didn't seem to be working. Weather like this certainly wasn't unusual for January. In fact, it was probably warmer than it tended to be.

Streetlights flickered off and he sped up his pace. He wasn't going to make it before curfew. Phlegma always patrolled the streets late at night, looking for teenagers out of bed and out causing trouble. It was like a hobby for her.

A porch light suddenly flicked on. Hiccup quickly dove into the alley that connected the two streets. The owner of the house was out in her pyjamas, shining a flashlight in her yard. "Dang raccoons..." She muttered and went back inside. Breathing heavily still, he sank against the fence and slid onto the concrete. A growl interrupted the silence. Hiccup's eyes shot open and he glanced nervously around the alley. The growling got louder. He backed up slowly and reached around for a weapon.

Without thinking, he picked up a broken crate laying on the ground and chucked it at the darkness. A whine. And then silence again.

_Oh Gods, did I kill it?_

He reached into his backpack and pulled out his phone, shining the flourescant light into the alley. A dog. It was a dog. His heart was racing as he slowly crawled over to it, reaching one hand out to touch it. The dog whined again and Hiccup pulled away. Then, he noticed its leg. It had been tied up with rope and was laying on its side, barely breathing. Blood stained the black fur on its left leg, coming from at least three cuts on it.

"Who did this to you?" Hiccup asked. The dog didn't answer. It just lifted its head up and stared at him. Hiccup couldn't place the expression on its face.

He fumbled around for something to cut the ropes with and picked up a jagged piece of glass from a bottle, slicing himself accidentally as he did. Hiccup winced and wiped his hand on his jeans. He carefully walked towards the dog and kneeled down next to it, then cut each side of the rope off.

"There. You're okay-" Before he even got to finish the sentence, the dog jumped up and pushed him against a pile of garbage bags and barked loudly in his face. It stepped off and limped away down the alley. Hiccup felt like he couldn't breathe. His heart was pounding and his hand was aching from the cut. He got up and ran as fast as he could back to his house.

* * *

"Ah, Hiccup. There you are. What were you doing out so late?"

He was pressed against the backdoor, having just opened it, and looked anywhere but his dad.

"Oh, uh...I was just...jogging. I left you a note..."

"Well get to bed then. You have school in the morning."

"Actually, dad, it's Saturday."

"Oh." His dad looked away awkwardly. "So. Have a nice jog?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Good. Exercise is good. Put a bandage on that hand, son. It's bleeding pretty badly. Not even gonna ask how you got it. Knowing you it was probably another run in with trolls." He chuckled softly (which honestly wasn't all that soft) and began to go up the stairs, pausing at the top step to say, "'night."

"'night." Hiccup mumbled. He let out a sigh of relief and headed up the stairs.

It wasn't like he actually _liked _keeping secrets, he just knew that his father wouldn't understand. He didn't understand _anything_, really. There was no use in disrupting the perfectly okay relationship they had. Hiccup snorted. _Perfectly okay. Ha._

He found some bandages in the bathroom and washed his hand with a washcloth and soap before wrapping the bandages around it. His hand stung terribly now, and he guessed it would for the next few days. The cut had been pretty deep.

Hiccup let his injured hand fall limply in his lap as he logged onto his email to see if he'd got anything from Miranda or whatever her name was. Sure enough, he did.

**Ég er feginn að það er læsileg. Þetta tungumál er erfitt. Svo engu að síður, hvað finnst þér að gera að gamni? Eða er gaman, jafnvel til þarna?**

**(I'm glad that it's readable. This language is hard. So anyway, what do you do for fun? Or does it even exist over there?)**

Hiccup regretted ever telling her that her Icelandic was perfect. It was a horrible decision, now that he thought about it, and it would have been wiser to just tell her that she could just write it in English. The whole language thing was a rather stupid part of the program, how were they even supposed to know their language? And what if they had the same language? Then wouldn't that make the whole thing rather useless?

_I'm thinking too much into this. Probably more than they did._

He reread the email. What _did _he do for fun? Maybe she was right in thinking it didn't really even exist. He shrugged and began typing.

**Yes, Icelandic is rather difficult. You'll get the hang of it someday. Probably. As far as 'fun', we actually don't have that here. Evil sorcerer forbade it years ago. But I'm interested in what _you _do.**

Good enough. Though everything seemed good at two a.m.

The door to his bedroom opened and he quickly clicked out of his email. It was his dad, who glanced around the dimly lit room curiously before speaking up.

"I, uh, wanted to talk to you about what happened yesterday. Early in the morning seemed like a good time to have a heartfelt conversation." His dad sat on the bed, and the mattress nearly sunk to the ground under his weight. He reached for the dragon plush Hiccup always had on his bed, just so he had something to occupy his hands with. "So...if this is about not getting you that puppy when you were ten-"

"It's not."

"Just making sure...you really wanted that thing."

Hiccup wanted to ask him to stop making small talk, it only made things awkwarder, but he didn't.

"If you really want to go to the states, I can't...uh, there are some really nice universities here, too. Just so you know. I have some pamphlets in the kitchen-"

"I really want to go."

Stoick looked at Hiccup, probably trying to read him and figure out _why_. It's not like Hiccup had an answer.

"Okay then. But there's a tour next week for that nice school in Reykjavík, though. If you're interested."

_I'm not._

Hiccup shrugged in reply. If going meant that disappointed scowl wasn't on his father's face then he'd go a hundred times.

"Is that a yes?"

"Sure."

"Good. I'm sure you'll like it, they've got some really great programs I think you'd enjoy. Your mother loved the art program there. "

He was going to ramble on for hours if he didn't stop him soon.

"Well, anyway...I better be getting to bed. It's late."

Stoick stood up. "Of course, of course. See you in the morning, hopefully."

Hiccup closed the door behind him and flopped onto his bed. After a half an hour, his thoughts began to wander to that dog he'd seen in the alley. He would go looking for it in the morning, make sure that it was okay. Sure, it tried to bite his face off but he couldn't just leave an injured dog on the streets. He was almost asleep when his phone started ringing on the nighttable next to him. Fishlegs.

"Hello?"

"Hiccup! Hi! Did I wake you?" Fishlegs sounded far too cheery for it being three in the morning.

"Nope." Hiccup replied, his voice still groggy.

"Great! So, I was just talking to Rapunzel-"

"Who?"

"My pen pal. I was talking to Rapunzel and let me tell you, she's perfect. Literally. We're gonna get married."

Hiccup laughed and shook his head in disbelief. "Marriage? Already? Jeez, Fishlegs. What happened to 'I'm gonna marry Ruffnut and have three kids named-"

"Shut up." Hiccup could practically hear him blushing. "Unlike Ruffnut, Rapunzel actually appreciates what I have to say. I wrote her an entire essay on my favorite species of dragons and you know what she said? _Cool. _Not even kidding."

He yawned and glanced at the clock. "Mhm. And you had to tell me this at three in the morning, _why?"_

"It's important. I've met my soul mate, Hiccup. We're gonna ride off into the sunset, with our hair flowing in the wind..."

"Sounds nice. Can I-"

Fishlegs gasped loudly. "She said she wants to skype with me! At seven her time! So that's..." Hiccup could hear him mumbling numbers on the other line. "Five here! That should be enough time for me to get ready. Hey, Hiccup? Is it to early to propose?"

"No. Not at all." He replied in monotone.

"I can hear the sarcasm, Hiccup. I don't like it."

"Mhm. See you Monday. Have fun with your girlfriend."

"She's not my-" Hiccup had already hung up the phone and was halfway back to sleep.

* * *

**ugh fishlegs and hiccup are my brotp I just can't even with these two**


	5. Chapter 5

_"She was a fire. And a downed fire is a dead fire." -Unknown_

* * *

She laughed.

It was strange that the first thing to make her laugh all day was sarcasm from some random kid that lived a thousand miles away.

Merida clamped a hand over her mouth and hoped that it didn't wake her parents up. She was of course checking her email at three o'clock in the morning, since she had forgotten during the day. As though she would've had the time. Weekends were the times when her mother allowed her to go out into the forests, ride Angus, shoot arrows, simply be free. Instead it consisted of her tagging along to stuffy events with her parents, and the torture wasn't even over yet. No, there'd be _yet another _event to attend, a gala this time, in just seventeen hours. She'd have to wear a dress, socialize...needless to say she wasn't looking forward to it.

She sighed and leaned back in her desk chair, her head falling over the headrest and hanging limply off the back. There was absolutely no chance of her riding Angus this weekend. Unless...

Her head shot up and she scrambled out of her chair, tripping and falling on the wooden floor as she did, but getting right back up and grabbing her coat off her bed. It was cold and she was wearing a tank top and pajama shorts, but sacrifices had to be made. She clutched her boots, swung her quiver and her bow over her shoulder, and carefully snuck out the door. This was dangerous, if her parents caught her she'd be in so much trouble. But that's what made it fun.

_Geez, I think Jack's starting to rub off on me. That can't be good_, she thought.

Merida shivered as she stepped boot clad feet into the snow. Wind whipped relentlessly and blew her curls into her face, making it difficult to see. The storm was dying down, and while the wind was definitely still there, the snow was no longer quite as heavy. She made her way to the barn where her horse was kept in the winter.

"C'mon, lad. Ye wanna go ridin'?" Her horse whined and snorted at the hay at his hooves. "Och, don't be like that. Ah know it's cold but we havenae been out in a week. So...what do ye say?"

Angus seemed to glare at her, giving her a look that said '_you're crazy, you know that?_' but nudged her with his snout as a sign of acceptance anyway.

"Good lad." She cooed. Merida gave him a pat and lead him by the reins into the snow. She could tell right away that he wanted to go back inside.

She placed her foot in the stirrup and hoisted herself up. Then, she squeezed his middle with her thighs and he took off.

It was peaceful. The only sound was Angus's hooves in the snow as he galloped past the tree line and into the forest. She reached back and grabbed her bow, untangling strands of hair from the string. Merida placed the arrow on the arrow rest and pulled back, hitting the target in the trees almost dead center. "Yes!" She shouted and pulled another one from the quiver, aiming it at a higher one and missing the center by just a few inches. Angus whinnied and sped up slightly. Merida aimed the arrow and was just about to release when Angus came to a halt.

Her bow and the arrow fell to the ground and she tumbled after it. She gasped as she felt her knee bump against a small but sharp stone on the ground and instantly become numb. With a groan, she pulled herself up onto her elbows and surveyed her injuries. Nothing too serious, though she did scrape her palms and legs up badly. "Angus!"

The horse whined and stepped back, unable to decide if he wanted to abandon her or not.

Merida wiped the snow off her clothes and stood up. She grit her teeth to try and ignore the shooting pain that went up her limbs as she did. Angus kept on stepping back and she turned to look at what he was so scared of. A shadow.

She laughed incrediously. "Yer scared of a shadow? It's just the trees, lad." The redhead told him, placing a hand on his snout and petting softly to calm him down. She bent down to pick up her bow and slung it over her shoulder. Then she placed her arrow back into the quiver and grabbed Angus's reins, her palms still stinging.

"Ah can't believe ye had to kick me off just because ye saw a shadow."

He snorted in protest, probably saying something like, '_it was _scary _okay? and it's not like you died or anything'_.

"C'mon now, lad, let's head back home. This was probably a bad idea."

'_you think?' _he seemed to say.

Merida chuckled softly and kept walking, glancing back for just a second to see that the shadow had disappeared. Maybe it wasn't the trees.

_Oh stop, _she reprimanded herself. _What are the chances that you're actually living in a horror movie, anyway?_

What few trees still had leaves rustled, and she swore she heard sommeone whisper her name. She had to admit, the scenery did look rather frightening. What with the bare, spindly branches twisting up towards the sky, and the moon full, covering everything with pale light. Merida stopped in the middle of the clearing, her blue eyes still focused on the big tree that still had most of its leaves in front of her. Something was off-

"BOO!"

Merida gasped and clutched her heart. She spun around.

"Dammit, Frost! What are ye doing here?"

Jack was standing behind her, his hands stuffed in that hoodie he always wore, tone casual as though he didn't just sneak up on her in the middle of the night. "I came to pick you up. Figured we could walk to the park or something. Hang out. I don't know. We always do something on Sundays."

She eyed him curiously, her heart still racing despite knowing that whatever monster she thought was there was actually just her idiot friend.

"Ye scared my horse half to death. Those therapy bills aren't gonna pay themselves." Merida buttoned up her coat as the wind grew stronger. "How did ye manage to do it anyway?"

"Do what?"

"Ye know. The shadows. There were at least three over there." She gestured over to the large tree, her eyes pausing for a moment to catch a glimpse of blue. Strange.

Jack frowned at the treee. "I wasn't over there."

"Sure ye weren't. How did ye know ah'd be out here anyway? It's four in the morning."

The brunet raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Mer, it's six forty five."

"Six forty five? But- how...aw crap." She hurriedly placed her foot back in the stirrup and hoisted herself onto her horse. Angus still seemed a little shaken up but was ready to go.

"Language, Mer. Or I'll have to tell your mom."

"Ye were the one that taught me it..."

"That's besides the point. Hey- where are you going?"

Angus was already galloping off down the clearing and into the denser part of the forest.

* * *

"Merida DunBroch! Where have ye been?"

Merida winced as she saw her mother standing in front of the entrance door, her hands on her hips and a stern glare on her face. She jumped off Angus and held his reins tightly in her hand. "Ah was just-"

"How long have ye been out?"

She shrugged and looked away. "Two or three hours maybe?"

"TWO HOURS?" Elinor clasped a hand to her mouth and worry washed over her face. Then she spotted her daughter's bloodied knee, torn coat, and scraped legs. "Are ye okay?" She asked breathlessly.

"Yes, mum. Ah'm fine."

Her mother breathed a sigh of relief and ushered her inside.

Merida's father sat at the table already, trying to get the triplets to sit down and eat their food. When he spotted Merida, he gasped and pushed out of his chair. "What happened to ye?"

"Ah fell. It's nothin' really."

He scrutinized her knee. "Doesnae look too bad. But yer mother should have a look at it anyway. Next time don't go runnin' off in the middle of the night." She sighed in relief that he didnt seem too terribly angry at her.

Elinor entered the house after leading Angus back to the barn, and took her daughter upstairs. She stopped the bleeding (which wasn't that much to begin with) and said she'd have her coat sewed up as soon as she could find the time. Awkward silence fell over the both of them. Merida hopped off of the bathroom sink and picked at a thread on her shorts nervously. After what seemed like forever, her mother finally spoke. "Ah'm glad yer okay. Now, let's get some breakfast in ye, then we've got to get ye ready for the banquet."

Merida groaned at the thought but didn't protest for once.

* * *

She couldn't wait to get back into sweatpants.

Her mother had gone all out as far as apparel, and while the dress she had chosen for Merida was undeniably pretty, it was also undeniably _uncomfortable_. It was heron blue and floor-length, with a wide strip of gold fabric at the bottom. The sleeves were long and went down just past her wrist. Her mother had insisted on attempting to straighten her hair, but it ended up more wavy than it did straight. She had pulled it up into an up-do, a braid wrapped into a bun. It was tight, and she felt as though her face was being pulled back.

Merida made sure that a lone curl was let free.

"Okay, everyone ready?" Elinor asked. She recieved five unenthusiastic head nods in response. The brunette clapped her hands together once and walked outside, the short train on her dress trailing along behind her.

The drive to the gala was uneventful, and all Merida could do was think about getting back home and going to sleep. Walking in heels had proved to be very stressful.

"Merida, straighten yer back. And tuck that loose hair back in. Hamish, wipe yer nose. No- not with yer sleeve! Merida, _hair please."_

The redhead groaned and sloppily tucked the curl back into her bun. "Mum, its just a gala. Not like we're meeting the Queen."

"Ah know that. Doesnae mean ye shouldnae look nice and be on yer best behavior. Now, smile everyone. And don't set anything on fire this time, boys."

The triplets nodded and saluted their mother before lining up behind Merida, who was stifling a giggle.

Inside was even more lovely than the outside. The gala was being held in a historical building (that was basically just a small castle) from over two hundred years ago. The walls were a rich cream color, and the several full-length windows let what little light was still outside flood in. There were several paintings lining the walls, vases of flowers, and crushed velvet curtains. It was honestly all _too _fancy.

"Merida, watch yer brothers please. Make sure they don't get into any trouble. And make sure _ye_ don't get into any either. Yer father and ah will be at the other end, and we'll all meet up at table nine at six." Elinor said before she took her husband's arm in her's and they strolled off.

Merida pulled out the curl when she was sure her mother couldn't see her anymore. "This is gonna be boring, huh?" She asked her brothers. All three nodded. "It doesnae have to be, though. Ye got any ideas?" They didn't say a word, but the mischevious glint in their blue eyes said it all. They scurried off. "If mum asks, I had nothing to do with it!" She called after them.

She leaned against the wall, simply watching everyone else. Boring, stuffy parties with boring music and stuffy people weren't her cup of tea. Was it anyone's?

People didn't exactly seem to be having fun. They mostly just stood around with drinks in their hands, chatting. There was a small group of people swaying to the music, a few others already seated at tables. But overall, _nothing _was happening.

Merida readjusted her skirt, and as she did, she felt a tap on her shoulder. "What?" She snapped.

A boy was standing there, with black curly hair and a cocky grin. "Care to dance?"

"No thank ye."

"Suit yourself."

Merida wrinkled her nose at the tone of his voice as he walked off. Not even a minute later, yet another guy was there asking her to dance. She turned him down as well. Finally, a third one came up and asked the same exact question. She was starting to get peeved now, and turned him down a little harsher than the other's.

He didn't listen and grabbed her wrist anyway. She twisted his hand back and held his arm. "Ah said ah don't want to dance."

"HELP! HELP! SHE'S TRYING TO KILL ME!"

All eyes were on the two of them. She sheepishly let go of him and shot the boy an angry glare as he ran off.

It took only a minute for her mother to appear beside her. "What are ye doing, lass? Everyone probably thinks yer a murderer now."

"Ah wasnae trying to kill him. Just wanted to him to leave me alone."

Elinor scoffed. "And ye couldnae have done that in more ladylike way? Ye can't automatically resort to violence, Merida. There are rules."

Merida wanted to say something in response but thought better of it. She bit her lip and slowly tucked the curl back in.

Her mother sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Just don't do it again."

Dinner was announced and she was seated at a table with her family as well as the same three boys who had asked her to dance and their fathers. It was terribly awkward. Especially with the one who's hand she twisted cowering in fear next to her. She rolled her eyes. _Geez, it didn't hurt _that _much._

Merida poked at the neeps and tatties on her plate. She had filled it with food, so that every inch was covered, much to her mother's annoyance. Nobody said a word as they all silently ate (even the triplets) and Merida wondered why everyone at the table was strangely quiet.

Elinor seemed a bit bothered by it too. She set her fork down on her plate and clapped her hands together. "Well, I suppose it's time we discuss the marriage."

Merida nearly choked on her salmon.

* * *

**cHapTERs ARE gETtiNg LONger HALP**

**it is totally legal to marry off your seventeen year old I swear.**

**also jack u lil shit**


	6. Chapter 6

_"I know why the caged bird sings." -Maya Angelou_

* * *

_Where was it?_

Hiccup stuffed his numb hands into his coat pocket as he craned his neck to look down the alleyway. It had only been a few hours ago that he had found the dog, and it was nowhere to be seen. He sighed in defeat and turned back around. There was no use in looking for it-

He spotted paw prints.

They were in the mud path leading into the forest, a whole trail of them extending for at least ten feet. Hiccup glanced at his watch. It was only seven, there was still time. He sighed again, and his puff of breath was visible in front of him.

_Too damn cold, _he thought. His sneakers made a strange squishing sound as he walked through the mud, and it stuck to the ridges in his sole. The paw prints stopped when the trees began to dense. After thirty minutes of aimlessly walking around the forest, he decided to give up. The dog was obviously not here. He smacked at a tree branch in frustration and it snapped back and hit him in the eye. "Ow-" He became silent when he heard a faint whimper.

Hiccup pressed on and saw the dog limping around a cove. It gave up and laid down, resting its furry black head on its paws. He crouched behind a tree and watched it for a minute. The dog hadn't noticed him yet, and was simply up again and trotting around.

Slowly, he edged his way down the side of the cove. A mere three feet before reaching the ground, Hiccup slipped and tumbled down.

Now the dog noticed him.

Hiccup clambered to his feet and and backed up against the dirt walls of the cove. It came closer and sniffed Hiccup's jeans. With a final growl, he limped back over to the other side of the cove.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you. I just wanna help..." He slowly walked over to it with hands out stretched. The dog growled and backed up further.

Hiccup continued and pulled out a bandage from his coat pocket. "Can I, uh, see it?" He reached out and the dog didn't protest for once. His hand was just a few inches away-

It gave yet another growl and scampered over to the other side.

"What about some food, huh? Would you let me take a look at it if you had some food to eat?" Hiccup asked it. The dog barked what he assumed was a 'yes!' in response. "Okay, I'll be right back. _Don't move._"

Hiccup used a large rock as footing and climbed his way up to the top. He ran back to his house and desperately searched the fridge for something for the dog to eat. He had no clue what dogs ate.

_Meat? Dogs like meat, right?_

There was none, unfortunately. Only a whole boatload of fish in the freezer. Hiccup shrugged and mumbled, "close enough." and pulled half of it out. He placed the fish in the pan and impatiently waited for it to cook. Then he found an old knapsack and stuffed them all inside.

The dog was still there when Hiccup climbed down.

"I didn't have dog food or anything...so I hope this is okay." He dumped the fish out and took a few steps back. The dog slowly walked over to the pile and began to eat. Hiccup took that time to check out its leg. The fur was still stained with blood, and he couldnt pin point the exact location of the cuts. He took out the washclothe he brought and dampened it in the large pond before carefully cleaning its left leg. Then he took out the bandage and wrapped it around just as the dog finished eating.

It looked up and finished eating the last piece. Hiccup watched and noticed something strange. "Are you toothless?"

The dog growled and bared his teeth.

"Guess not."

Not even a full minute later, it was already back on the other side of the cove. It curled up and fell asleep. Hiccup stayed and watched the dog sleep before remembering he had to be back at ten. He gathered his things and shouted goodbye as he climbed back up and ran home.

Fishlegs and Ruffnut were already at the door when he arrived. And they were being surprisingly civil to each other.

"You're early." He said as he took the final few steps to his door.

"Yeah well I had nothing better to do. This is better than sitting at home, eating ice cream, all alone..."

Ruffnut rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up already."

Hiccup took out his key and opened up the door. "Where are the others?"

"My idiot brother is grounded. I dared him to set the neighbor's pool on fire and he did. But he got caught. I don't know about Astrid or Snotlout."

"How do you set a pool on fire?" Hiccup asked.

Ruffnut smirked. "Talent. Or sheer stupid luck. Same thing."

He raised an eyebrow and let the two of them inside. It was strange having her in his house, since it was probably the first time she actually came. Normally it was just Fishlegs and him, sitting cross-legged on the floor, flipping through phonebooks every Saturday.

Ruffnut sat down on the couch and absentmindedly played with her braids. Fishlegs sat on the loveseat opposite of her. Hiccup stood off awkardly to the side.

"So, Fishlegs, how did it go with Rapunzel?"

"Oh dear Gods you just had to ask..." Ruffnut complained.

Fishlegs shot her a look. "Horrible. She has a _boyfriend. _And he's not even that cute, I can't tell what she sees in him."

"Not like you're a step up."

"Ruff can you not." Fishlegs snapped. "Anyway-" The doorbell rang and cut his sentence short. Ruff shot up and sprinted over to the door.

It was Astrid, and she was invited inside and pushed into the living room. "Everyone's here so you can shut up now." Ruffnut ushered her over to the couch and the two of them sat down. Astrid glanced between the three of them and frowned. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing." Ruffnut replied a bit too quickly.

Hiccup coughed. "Uh, doesn't look like Snotlout is coming so let's get started." He was secretly happy Snotlout didn't show up, they all probably were, but he decided not to voice it.

He brought out the phone book and placed it on the coffee table. Fishlegs leafed through it and stopped at a page in the middle. "Veronika Olvirsson? I don't think we tried her yet." He dialed the number and handed the phone to Hiccup.

It rung for thirty seconds before she picked up. A man's voice came over the speaker. "Hello?"

"Uh, hi. Is there a Veronika there?" Hiccup asked nervously. A part of him was desperately hoping that this was the woman he was looking for. Another was terrified that it was.

A pause.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"My name is Hiccup. I'm a...friend. Hopefully. Can I speak to her please?"

He waited patiently as the phone was handed to her. "Hello? How can I help you?"

Hiccup took a deep breath. "Do you have a son?"

"I'm sorry?"

"A son? Named Hiccup?"

"No. Just a daughter." She replied. Hiccup felt his excitement go out like a light.

"Are sure? Do you know anyone who's name starts with 'v' that has a child by that name?" His hands were beginning to sweat now. What if she truly didn't know? And he never found her?

"I'm sorry, but no. I can't help you."

"What about-"

"Stop." Astrid but in. Hiccup mumbled an apology to the woman and she hung up a second later. "Hiccup, please. We've called everyone. You have to accept that she's-"

"No." He said sternly.

She threw her arms up in exasperation. "Oh come on, Hic! It's been five weeks. She's _dead. _You're my best friend and I hate doing this, but you need to stop. You're not going to find her."

Hiccup knew it was true. As much as he wanted to believe that she was still out there, he had to face the music. Ever since he'd found that stupid letter...and it had ignited false hope...

Astrid sighed and bit her lip. "I'm sorry..."

"No. You're right. Just forget it." He snapped the phone book shut and refused to look at it. There were still four that he hadn't tried...

He shook his head and looked at the ground. An awkward silence fell over the four of them, as though they were all too afraid to say anything. That wasn't too far from the truth. They'd all opened their mouths to speak at some point, but thought better of it and closed them right away. Nothing needed to be said, anyway.

The door burst open. Astrid instinctively reached for the phone book on the coffee table to use as a weapon. She lowered it slightly when she realized it was just Snotlout.

"Do you know how to knock?" She snapped.

"Yes. Doesn't mean I have to." He eyed the four of them strangely for a minute. "Geez, who died?"

Astrid smacked her knee. "Snotlout!"

"Sorry! So, are we all done here? I really have to go.."

"Yeah." Hiccup said, standing up from the arm of the couch. "All done here." He gave them each a look that they roughly translated into 'I'm going upstairs, but you weirdos can stay and hang out in my living room for a while'.

He sat on his bed and wrung his hands in his lap. He wasn't going to sit there and sulk, he was simply going to lay down and stare at the ceiling in an angsty teen manner. Much manlier.

He could hear them all the way from up there, they were all talking considerably loudly after long moments of whispering amongst each other. Hiccup rolled over, still listening faintly to the conversation. At least they weren't talking about him.

"Let's hope she looks somewhat decent, or you'd have some pretty ugly kids." Ruffnut said.

"Thank you for that self-esteem boost, Ruff. I appreciate it." Fishlegs.

"You're welcome."

* * *

Hiccup walked home with Fishlegs Monday afternoon, and was stuck hearing all about his plan to become a crazy cat lady. At this point, he'd stopped questioning his friend and simply nodded along and suggested cat names.

He waved goodbye as they reached his house (he'd offered to let Fishlegs in, but he declined, as cat planning was more important) and jiggled the key in the lock. His father was already seated at the kitchen table, scrutinzing an envelope in his large hands. He was so focused on that piece of paper...surely Hiccup would be able to sneak past...

"Where are ye going?"

"Upstairs. I have lots of homework."

"Ah. Well come down when yer done, we have lots to discuss."

Hiccup nodded and gave his dad a fake smile. _I am never leaving my room. Ever._

He set his knapsack down on his bed and booted up his computer. Nothing from Merida, yet. He was slightly worried, it had been days since he had sent his email. Maybe he had said something wrong? And now she was ignoring him? He looked back over his email, over analyzing every word, looking for something she might have thought was stupid or offensive. Nothing. Perhaps she thought his sarcasm was dense? It wouldn't have been the first time. Hiccup shrugged and shut his laptop.

There was no use putting it off any longer.

Hiccup walked downstairs as slowly as possible, so he could delay the inevitable conversation. Stoick was in the living room now, the envelope laying in his lap. There was something in his hands that looked vaguely like a picture frame. No, it most definitely was. Hiccup watched for a moment. Then his foot creaked against the wood floor and caught his father's attention.

"Ah, son. Come sit." He set the picture down on the side table and patted the space on the couch next to him. Hiccup wearily walked over and sat.

"Uh, so you said you wanted to talk?"

"Yes. A letter came today. Ye got accepted into the school in Reykjavik!" Stoick was actually _smiling _at him. He looked proud...it was a look Hiccup had never seen before.

"Oh wow that's...wow."

Stoick nodded and placed a giant hand on his son's shoulder. Hiccup nearly collapsed under the weight. "Ye'll be going into social sciences...economics, business administration...whatever ye choose. And-"

"I don't...want to go."

His father stared at him quizically and Hiccup instantly felt bad. "Of course ye do. Now, there's plenty of time to prepare, it doesn't start for another six months-"

"No, I don't." His voice was shaky no matter how hard he tried to sound confident.

"Why not?"

"I already told you. If I have to go at all then I want to go the the States-"

"Yer not going to the States, Hiccup."

Hiccup jumped off the couch. "What? But you said..."

Stoick rubbed his forehead with his hand and looked away. "It's too far away, son. I'm not letting you go across an ocean just to attend school. There's no need for it. The university here is-"

"You don't mind if it's far away, you want me to leave!" He was fuming now, his voice getting higher the angrier he got. His father stayed perfectly calm.

"Hic, ye know that's not true."

"Isn't it? You think I'm a nuisance, a screw-up, and you can't _wait _for me to get out of your hair." He wasn't even thinking anymore, just spouting out words without a second thought on what he was saying.

Stoick stood up to his full-height, towering over his son as he spoke. "Hiccup, son, stop. Where is this even coming from?"

"No you stop. Stop pretending...Gods. I could handle the awkward small talk, and the silence, and the empty house all day long, and that disappointed look you always have. But this? Lying and pretending you don't want me to leave when it's really just because you want to scowl at me a little longer-"

"ENOUGH!"

Hiccup took step back. He stopped to catch his breath after blurting everything out. It felt good. But yet he still felt utterly horrible.

"Enough." Stoick repeated in a softer tone. "Just- go upstairs. We'll finish this conversation later."

Hiccup mumbled an apology (low enough that his dad wouldn't hear but he wouldn't feel as bad) and walked upstairs, not looking back once.

* * *

***cries* WRITING IS HARD**

**i'm one of those weird perfectionists where I'll scrutinize every detail but after a while I'm just like "lol frick it this is getting uploaded" and that's how this happened. /rolls away/**

**omg hiccup he bared his teeth at you like ten times how do you not know he has teeth gEEZ**

**and just to clear things up, this chapter takes place on Saturday/Monday, but the next chapter will continue on Sunday. this story literally goes all over the place.**

**(side note: does hiccup seem ooc in this? or am I just being paranoid and slightly sleep deprived again?)**


End file.
